In the ’70s, what was often considered wholesome family programming could also traumatize a kid. Not that shows were violent or inappropriate, but the characters, despite their supposedly positive message, were flat-out scary. Whether it was claymation, makeup, bad lighting, or over-the-top costumes, the ’70s weren’t short on creepy children’s shows.
As someone born in the mid-60s but growing up primarily in the 70s, I’m not sure we necessarily thought these shows were creepy at the time. Some of the characters, like WitchiePoo from H.R. Pufnstuf and the Sleestak and Cha-ka from Land of the Lost, certainly did give off a scary vibe. But for the most part, it was weekened TV fodder, and we were there for it. Other shows, particularly the ones featuring puppets, clowns, and characters made of clay, were downright chilling.
Creepy Children’s Shows of the ’70s
Won’t you join me as we take a nostalgic look back at some of the creepiest shows of my 70s childhood?
HR Pufnstuf
HR Pufnstuf was on our not-to-be-missed Saturday morning rotation. Sitting criss-cross applesauce on the floor in our pajamas, cereal bowls in our laps, we were riveted as we followed the story of shipwrecked Jimmy, who, along with his magic flute Freddy, was lured onto a magic, albeit creepy, boat that belonged to the evil Witchie Poo. Witchie Poo planned to get Jimmy to Living Island, where he would remain stranded, and she could steal Freddy for herself. The Mayor of Living Island was a, I think, dragon named HR Pufnstuf. Who, as luck would have it, lived in a cave that was immune to Witchie Poo’s magic. Oh, and by the way, everything on this island, from the houses to the trees, was alive.
HR Pufnstuf got its creepy element from its mixture of human actors and life-sized puppets, not to mention Witchie Poo’s caked-on makeup and the darkness that surrounded her. The creepiest vibes came from watching her fly on her creepy broom. Witchie Poo made Elphaba look like Carol Brady.
Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo was a daytime educational show for young kids on CBS. Captain Kangaroo’s name came from the big pockets in his coat, something I didn’t know until I was last week years old.
Captain Kangaroo read stories, introduced special guests, and talked to his strange cast of characters like Bunny Rabbit, Mr. Moose, Mr. Greenjeans, Dancing Bear, and a super-creepy grandfather clock.
To be honest, I didn’t like Captain Kangaroo. I didn’t watch it voluntarily, and if it was on, it was because one of my siblings put it on. There was something about that man that just didn’t sit right with me.
Rankin-Bass Holiday Specials
Christmas specials should give off a feel-good, ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ vibe, not nightmares. But the vibe was hit or miss, depending on what a ’70s kid took away from a Rankin-Bass Christmas special. Filmed in stop motion, many of the doll-like characters were not just creepy, they were scary, something you wouldn’t expect from holiday programming. The villains, such as Jack Frost, Burgermeister Meisterburger, the Abominable Snowman, or another bad guy, were the stuff that Christmas nightmares were made of.
Despite the creepy appearance of most Rankin-Bass characters, my siblings and I looked forward to watching them once a year. They were a Christmas rite of passage.
Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood/The Land of Make Believe
I suppose Mr. Rogers was innocent enough, coming home from work and changing into his casual sweater and shoes. His chill vibe didn’t bother me, and he didn’t creep me out like Captain Kangaroo or Bozo the Clown did. I just couldn’t get behind the Land of Make Believe.
What is the Land of Make Believe, you ask?
Every episode, Mr. Rogers transitioned from the real world to the Land of Make Believe by summoning up a trolley that no human of any size could fit inside. On one side of the trolley, Mr. Rogers’ house, on the other side of the tracks, The Land of Make Believe. The Land of Make Believe was made up of mostly creepy puppets such as King Friday, Queen Sara Saturday, Prince Tuesday, X the Owl, Henrietta Pussycat, the puppet that stared in many of my nightmares, Lady Elaine Fairchild, and many others, including humans, which just added to the creepy factor.
Sigmund And The Sea Monsters
Sigmund And The Sea Monsters was another Sid & Marty Kroft production featuring humans intermingling with life-sized puppets, which is just a creepy combination no matter how you look at it. Nothing good comes from humans frolicking on the beach with human-sized puppet creatures.
Running from 1973 to 1975, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters was about two boys, Johnny and Scott, who spent a lot of time alone on an empty beach and made friends with a runt of a sea monster named Sigmund, who had been rejected by his family for not being sufficiently scary. The two boys hide Sigmund in their clubhouse, and the rest is Saturday morning entertainment fodder.
Land of the Lost
Land of the Lost is one of the few Saturday morning shows of my childhood that some of today’s younger adults are at least vaguely familiar with, if only because of the Sleestack. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Another Sid & Marty Kroft Saturday morning series, Land of the Lost, was our not-to-be-missed show. The show was about a father and his teenage kids who are trapped in an alternate universe after a canoe trip gone bad.
In addition to a pesky Tyrannosaurus Rex, which was taken care of with the “flyswatter,” a log jammed down its throat, the Marshall family also had to contend with a caveman named Cha-ka and the scary as sh** Sleestack. Unlike some of the other creepsters mentioned in this piece, the Land of the Lost didn’t bother me as much as some of the others. I remember my brothers and sisters and me being absolutely riveted to each episode. Make no mistake, the show was corny and cheesy, but that was part of its charm. So yeah, it had its creepy moments, but all is forgiven because they made it work.
The New Zoo Revue
Good gravy. The New Zoo Revue. Where do I even begin with this one? It has all the elements for a creepy children’s show: humans intermingling with life-sized puppets or people dressed as life-sized puppets, songs with a message, and adults who were as creepy as the life-sized frog and hippopotamus they sang and danced with. Watch the video and see what I mean.
This was another one of those shows that I never turned on voluntarily. If I watched it, it was because someone else put it on. Except that one time as a teen, sitting in the basement with some stoner friends, the show took on a different light. But that’s another story for another time.
The Banana Splits
The Banana Splits were these, I don’t know, animals? Unlike some of the other shows, the main characters weren’t giant puppets; they were humans acting in oversized costumes. And they were a rock band. If I had to compare their musical style and the show’s plot to anything, it would be The Monkees. Except with animals that were really people in oversized costumes. And judging how hot these costumes look, I can only imagine how they smelled.
The Banana Splits aired from 1968 to 1970, beginning when I was four years old and ending when I was six. I caught this show in reruns now and then, but don’t remember watching it with any regularity. Just picture three big dog-looking things playing instruments in front of humans. Exactly.
There are More Creepy Children’s Shows
When I began outlining this piece, there were a lot more shows on this list: Bozo the Clown, Lidsville, The Bugaloos, gosh, and so many more that didn’t make the cut. I am not sure why anyone would think these shows were a good idea. Maybe we were made of tougher stock in the ’70s, or maybe the writers and producers were just sadistic.
I hope you weren’t traumatized too much by this trip down memory lane. The 70s were a special time – in more ways than one.
